Brad Paisley helps Teays Valley man propose

Vanessa Pritt and Jason Davis have several videos of country music singer Brad Paisley filming Davis' marriage proposal Saturday in Las Vegas. Davis said the only reason Paisley agreed to help was because the two are fellow West Virginians.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Vanessa Pritt's engagement to Jason Davis is one thing that happened in Las Vegas that isn't staying there.Instead, the ceremony can be seen by millions of people worldwide on YouTube -- thanks to country music star Brad Paisley, a Glen Dale native.Just after Paisley finished singing "She's Everything" during his show at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, the country singer grabbed a fan's cellphone while Davis, 40, of Teays Valley got down on one knee and proposed to Pritt.For a couple months before their trip, Davis did his best to get Paisley involved."I relentlessly pursued [Paisley] and kept calling his agents," Davis said. "They said 'absolutely not.' They get thousands of requests like this."Davis didn't give up and finally someone close to Paisley was able to get word to him that fans from his home state wanted his help."They told me to make a sign for the concert that said, 'I'm the guy from West Virginia that's going to propose,'" Davis said.
Pritt, 31, was a little suspicious about why Davis was carrying a backpack to the concert but said she had no clue what was in store."Everybody around us knew it was going to happen -- but me," she said.While Pritt went to the restroom before Paisley came onstage, Davis asked people standing around them in the front row to hold the signs he had made, but to make sure Pritt couldn't see them.

"People were standing behind us holding the signs and pointing at us," Pritt said."She's Everything" is one of two songs Davis asked that Paisley sing before he proposed. As the song faded out, Paisley handed Davis his microphone and said, 'Do it, brother,' Davis recalled."I've never seen so many women crying," he said. "The only reason [Paisley] considered it was because we're fellow West Virginians."Both Pritt and Davis are longtime Paisley fans. They met about a year and a half ago when Davis spotted her at a charity event."I found out she was a manager at a local bank, so I went there acting like I had a banking question," he said.

After courting Pritt for a few months, Davis said they eventually were inseparable, and now the South Charleston natives share a home in Teays Valley. Pritt's son Creed, 4, and Davis' son, Jonah, 5, are now also great friends, the couple said.Davis said the song "She's Everything" is how he feels about Pritt."It will definitely be the song at our wedding," he said.After the proposal, Paisley joked and said, "Congratulations to you, sir, and my condolences to you, ma'am," Davis said.After Pritt got over the shock of the whole experience, and when she was finally able to stop crying, she realized, "There's no way he can ever marry anyone else -- there's no way to top that."Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1723.